Hello, my name is Claire (aka DaisyBisley) and it appears it’s been a while since my last post.

A lot has happened in the time away, there have been ups and downs, some more downs and then ups again. I’m not going to tell you everything that’s happened, but instead tell you whats changed. This blog before was meant for me to share my adventures in trying to live more positively and my design work. Neither of those things really came to much as I was too busy being hard on myself and seeing others’ success as my failure. Not a good way to be, especially when you’re a creative and you’re already super hard on yourself!

So what’s changed?… Lettering!

I’ve always been able to write fancy, doodling words all over my school books and prided myself on having pretty cool handwriting (when it’s not an unreadable scrawl of ridiculousness). But it wasn’t until late 2014 when I started to notice incredible letter artists all over Instagram sharing their beautiful work, that I realised all that doodling of words might have been useful. I scrolled through feeds endlessly and decided to give it a go, starting a 365 that included a Christmas countdown and taking on as many lettering challenges as I could. I wrote hello, minimum and aluminium about a million times and strived to get better. Taking Skillshare class after Skillshare class, reading book after book and even signing up for Sean Wes’ Learn Lettering class. It was so much fun learning from all these amazingly talented people and it still is. The learning never stops!

Its changed everything, my understanding of design, its process, typography and how I look at the fonts and art around me. Its even changed how I feel about my own art. For the first time, in a long time I’m happy with my work, see that I am good at it and that others enjoy it – that’s what art and design are all about.

It has led me down a path I never thought I’d find myself on with my career, weddings. I’m taking bookings for wedding stationery, hand lettered prints and chalkboard design and in the process have met some of the most talented and awesome people in Scotland’s wedding industry. I also get to hang out with these cool folk!

So this is DaisyBisley now: Design, lettering and wedding goodies! Welcome to my new website and blog. Here is my little space on the web where I’ll share my work, things and artists that inspire me (and hopefully you too) and some occasional wedding chat. I also hope to build up a bank of resources for like minded folk who love lettering as much as I do or want to give it a go for the first time.

The last year has been a good one and things seem to be getting even better with my lettering adventures, I can’t wait to share with you where DaisyBisley is going next…

If you’re looking for some unique wedding stationery or your favourite quote hand lettered give me a shout using the contact page or the buttons below.

Keeping focused and calm during a big project can prove pretty difficult sometimes, especially if things go wrong. These past three weeks have seen ups and downs, disasters and successes as well as some stress filled days.

I’ve been working on the biggest project I’ve ever been commissioned to do so I was determined to succeed and make it happen. It meant learning a lot along the way and also thinking on my feet. It also caused stress when things started to go wrong and I had the horrible feeling it might not be done in time. Finding ways to stay calm, focused and motivated were essential to keep on top of things.With all this in mind I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned or rediscovered during the project.

Write It Down

Making a to do list not only helps you keep track of what needs to be done, but also helps you prioritise your job list. You can also use it to break down bigger projects in to more manageable goals. So instead of “Carina’s Logo” you can break it down in to:

Research

Initial Sketches

Finalise Design

Digitise Line Work

Deliver Final Design

This keeps you on track and focused on the smaller goals instead of one big intimidating one.

Take a Breather

Breaks are important to keep you motivated, especially if you’re stuck in a rut or suffering from the dreaded creative block. Take five minutes to do some deep breathing or half an hour to chill out and get some lunch. Going for a walk is another great way to refresh your brain. Go out and get some air and you’re guaranteed to come back ready to go. Take a camera and/or notepad with you too as you never know when inspiration will strike.

Whatever you choose make sure you walk away from what you’re working on and don’t focus on it! I personally love taking half an hour out to read a chapter or two of a book. It totally breaks my mind away from what I’m working on, allowing me to go back completely refreshed and ready to work. Remember to set an alarm though as we all know how a book can grab you and keep you!

Workin’ 9 to 5

It’s important to try and set regular working hours and a working schedule. This will help establish a routine and keep you organised.

Get up early and enjoy your breakie! Breakfast is a great time to prepare for the rest of your day. I’ve heard of folk practising mindful techniques or thinking of things they are grateful for to help them start the day on a positive. I personally like to spend my breakfast time relaxing and focusing on positive things before I start my work. It really helps me to get in the right frame of mind before getting stuck in.
I also like to take half an hour to watch some morning telly. Either Frasier or Everybody Loves Raymond are my shows of choice as a good dose of laughter can also set you up for a great day.

Sort Your Space Out

I am a notoriously messy desk keeper while working! During a project my work space ends up covered in paper, notes, pencils, pens and empty cups that once held my tea. It’s definitely something I still need to work on, especially as I feel way more productive when my desk is tidy! A tidy workspace will stop you getting distracted and in turn keep you more focused.

De-clutter your workspace and try to keep it organised. Organise your notes and inspirations on a pin board and make some cool storage pots for your stuff – the perfect excuse to get your DIY on (and make more mess), just make sure you tidy up after yourself!

And The Reward Goes To

Here’s the fun part! Help yourself to achieve your goals by setting rewards. If you get all your research done or knock out ten sketches then treat yourself to a walk in the park or something sweeter. You know, that tub of ice cream that’s been at the back of the freezer. Not all of it mind, just a wee bit. Go on, you;ve worked hard and deserve it! Or if you’ve been working solid for a few days without fail reward yourself with a day off.

Rewarding yourself this way will keep you motivated during a project, especially if you’ve been struggling with it. Recently I’ve been going for the ice cream reward, it’s definitely been getting my days work done knowing the Carte D’or was waiting for me at the end of the day.

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Well these are some of the ways I keep calm, focused and motivated whilst working on any project big or small and I hope you found them useful for your freelance work, art commissions or even personal projects.

Even if you’re not working on something at the moment I hope there is something you can take away from the things I’ve learned. Best of luck with all your projects.

How do you keep calm and focused when you’re working? Share your wisdom in the comments.

We all need a little motivation now and then and a little pep talk can go a long way. I get my motivation from a few places and one of them is listening to some good old movie quotes and speeches. There’s always a little priceless nugget of advice to be found somewhere.

5 » The Pursuit of Happiness!
This movie made me cry! Like openly sob. It was just so moving and this part when Chris is talking to his son and realises that he has basically told his son not to follow his dream ugh – Pass the hankies. I just love the look on Will Smith’s face when he realises that if he leaves it there he could have, in one swift moment, stopped his son from dreaming for the rest of his life. It’s as if his son’s life flashed before his eyes and it wasn’t a happy one. Beautiful part of the movie.

4 » Batman Begins
This pretty much sets up the entire trilogy, there is the start of Dark Knight Rises where Bruce has stopped listening, but he gets there in the end. It’s a lesson that says it’s ok to fail – that’s how we learn to succeed. If you fall flat on your face just get up, dust yourself off and keep on trucking – or rambling as the case may be in the Nolanverse.

3 » Ferris Bueller
I first heard this when I was younger and I kind of got it then, but as I got older and wiser and went through some “stuff” and suffered a great loss it became more meaningful and important to me. Life does move prettyreally fast and we do need to remember to stop some times and appreciate what we have, who we have and who we are. Live in the now man!

2 » Little Miss sunshine
One of my favourite’s with a sweary word for emphasis! This is one that comes up with me every now and then. When I’m wondering whether I should give up my dreams and take a job just for the money for the rest of my life. Right now I’m kind of working three jobs and barely scraping by. I love each one, but there is always this niggling feeling whether it’s time to just let it all go and get the “normal” job. I mean yeah I’d love to work in a studio full time surrounded by other creative folk and I’m giving it everything I’ve got to try and find that, but they’re thin on the ground. I know in my heart that I will eventually get to where I want to be, I just have to keep doing what I love to get there!

1 » Rocky Balboa
I said it before in my 5 Things We Can Learn From Rocky post, life is tough sometimes and we all get knocked down occasionally. The hits can be hard too and totally deflate us in every way, but as Rocky says we have to be willing to take the hits and keep moving. That’s how we accomplish our goals no matter how hard things get. Nothing worth doing is easy so fight it out to the end and it’ll all be worth it!

So these are my Top 5 Motivational Movie Quotes and I hope you get as much out of them as I do. If you have any that I haven’t mentioned then leave a comment below as you can never have too many inspiring snippets of wisdom in your life!